Having a stab at predicting what Apple will do with its flagship iPhone product is a favorite pastime among pundits. However, most people's predictions are little more than ideas pulled out of the air. But by taking a closer look at what Apple has done in the past, and the patents that the company has filed, we can make far more educated guesses.

Nickolay Lamm from MyVoucherCodes.co.uk has come up with two possible designs for a future iPhone. The first of these renders is based on rumors that Apple could swap out the metal on the back of the existing iPhone for a translucent plastic.

(Credit: Nickolay Lamm)

"A lot of us are so used to using our smartphones that we forget about what's inside them," Lamm told ZDNet in an email. "The iMac was made translucent so that it would seem less 'alien' and more personal, compared to other options which all looked like gray boxes. Apple can incorporate the same idea into the iPhone."

The translucent plastic would also allow Apple to easily — and cheaply — introduce a splash of color to its iPhone line.

(Credit: Nickolay Lamm)

Lamm has also taken an Apple patent filing for an iPhone made of curved glass and turned this into a realistic render.

Here's the image from the patent:

And here's the render:

(Credit: Nickolay Lamm)

"When I first saw the new iPhone patent," wrote Lamm, "it looked too futuristic and I wasn't sure how it would compare against the form factor of the iPhone 5. After making the concept, the patent looks much more feasible and it is something that may be possible for the iPhone 6 or 7."

It is, of course, worth bearing in mind that both of these designs are speculative, and are not based on anything official from Apple. Nonetheless, they are interesting designs, and a new take on the now oh-so familiar iPhone design.